The game started off in glorious sunshine, but halfway through the first half the usual picturesque Church Lane setting looked and sounded like it belonged in an old Hammer film. Thunder and lightning, black skies and the ominous church bells giving it large......nice!!!
Linby have made the move from the NSL into the CML South Division for season 2012-2013, but unless they can sort out flooodlights by the end of season 2013-2014, they will be looking to make the move back to the NSL. The CML have a new rule: (E) (ii) "teams must have acceptable, permanent floodlights by the day prior to the League AGM following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season". May seem a bit draconian, but for clubs to progress from step 7, they have to have lights anyway. The NSL have no such stipulation.
Fred Kirkbytown greeted us as we entered the ground - his Ginsters pasty looked to be going down well!! Said a quick hello to Brian Dennett and Brett Marshall, then we took up our position just past the Hucknall dugout - hoping to glean as many names of the Hucknall squad as possible.
These players started : Jason Fisher, Chris Baugh, Corey Nightingale, Jamie Brown, Liam Garner, Scott Wilby, Joel Goodacre, Julian Topliss, Carl Snowden + 2. Others used - Steve Carty, James Leggitt, Danny Blair, Warren Hatfield, Rob Palin, Rob Austin, Theo Ganderson, Danny Hayes + 1 unknown.
Kick off
Not a classic first 45, but Linby were more than a match for their Evo-Stik Div 1 South opponents. H-T 0-0
Linby's Damian Mann and Jonathan Dakers
Marshall rang the changes at the break, and Theo Ganderson soon made his mark, opening the scoring three minutes into the second period. The striker was a little fortunate that his tame near post effort slipped under the keepers' body, but that's two in two for the big youngster.
It was 2-0 on 53 - Steve Carty's superb through ball picked out Danny Blair who fired calmly past the home keeper.
After 71 minutes, Rob Palin played the ball into Blair from the right, and the big man hammered a shot goalwards. The Linby 10 shirt blocked the shot with his hand, giving Referee Liam Jones no option other than to award a penalty. Blair drilled home the spot kick to make it 3-0.
Blair shot blocked -- but where is the keeper going???
Blair makes no mistake from the spot
With 10 to play, Scott Wilby dribbled the ball to the goal-line, then beat his marker, turned and fired home at the near post to add the visitors' fourth. F-T 0-4
Four-nil was a bit harsh on the home team, but on first view and knowing the CML quite well, the Church Lane outfit should do well in their coming campaign.
Admission £0 -- raffle £1 (no idea who won or what the prize was, but every little helps, doesn't it!)
Attendance -- close to 80-90 estimate
